Teen Witch | |
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![]() Home video cover, also used for a theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Dorian Walker |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Marc Reshvosky |
Edited by | Natan Zahavi |
Music by |
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Production company | |
Distributed by | Trans World Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2.5 million |
Box office | $27,843 |
Teen Witch is a 1989 American teen fantasy comedy film directed by Dorian Walker, written by Robin Menken and Vernon Zimmerman, and starring Robyn Lively and Zelda Rubinstein. The plot follows Louise, a teenage girl who discovers she is a witch and gains powers on her 16th birthday.
Originally pitched as a female version of Teen Wolf (1985), it was later reworked into a standalone spin-off film of its own. The film features numerous impromptu musical numbers, including rap sequences, and has since become a cult classic, [1] [2] aided by midnight theater showings and regular cable television airings (including through annual showings as part of ABC Family/Freeform's 13 Nights of Halloween ). The film is also popular for its music and 1980s fashion nostalgia. [1]
Fifteen-year-old Louise Miller longs to be popular and catch the eye of high school quarterback Brad Powell. However, Brad dates cheerleader Randa, and Louise is seen as an uncool underclassman with a similarly unpopular best friend, Polly. During English class, Louise is mocked by her mean-spirited teacher Mr. Weaver, who makes fun of a page from her diary that got accidentally stuck to her assignment. That night, after an unsuccessful audition for a part in a school play, Louise is bicycling home. Brad is driving but gets distracted by his passenger Randa, causing him to inadvertently run Louise off the road with his convertible.
In search of a phone to use, Louise enters the home of Madame Serena, a seer. Serena convinces Louise to do a palm reading, and tells her she is a witch who will develop powers on her sixteenth birthday. On Louise's birthday the following week, no one shows up to her party. Polly informs Louise that most of their peers went to another party thrown by Randa. That night, Louise tosses and turns in her bed as she recalls Serena's prophecy that she will soon gain powers. At school the next day, Louise's theater teacher, Ms. Malloy, gives her a necklace with an amulet that she finds among the costumes, and tells Louise she believes the amulet will bring her luck.
Immediately, Louise feels different and begins to wear the amulet regularly. Soon afterward, Randa invites Louise to attend a school dance with her cousin, David. Louise feels stuck with David, an insufferable, handsy nerd, but she is able to make him disappear at her command and manifests Brad coming over to talk to her. When she comes home, she accidentally turns her younger brother Richie into a dog when he mocks her, but she manages to change him back to his human self by throwing him into a bath. Louise later learns from Serena that she is the reincarnation of Modesty Miller, a witch born in 1636, and that the amulet she wears belonged to Modesty.
Serena gives Louise a book of magic spells to study and she learns to harness her powers by calling the wind and rain. She casts a love spell to make Brad fall for her. Louise then exacts revenge on Mr. Weaver by undressing a voodoo doll made in Weaver's image, embarrassing him in front of the whole class. She also uses her powers to help Ms. Malloy find true love and wealth, and to help Polly gain the courage to challenge fellow student Rhet in an informal rap battle. Louise asks for Serena's help to make her the most popular girl in school, and shows her a picture of her favorite pop star, Shana, for inspiration. Serena makes a potion, but to complete the spell, explains she needs an item belonging to the singer. Louise uses her powers to go backstage during Shana's concert, where Shana, under a spell, gives Louise her jacket.
Thereafter, everyone at school worships and emulates Louise, and Brad takes immediate notice. After school, Brad takes Louise to an abandoned house where he gives her the kiss she has long hoped for. However, Louise starts to wonders if Brad truly likes her or if he is only attracted to the popularity her powers summon. At school, Louise continues to ascend the social ladder, alienating Polly. She also accidentally wishes herself into the lead role of the school play by telling the original lead to break a leg. Later, Brad asks Louise to the dance, but Louise, feeling guilt-ridden from injuring a classmate and using magic to gain popularity, declines his invitation. Louise attempts to look for a way to reverse all the spells, but Serena explains that the real key to magic is believing in oneself. Serena accompanies Louise to the dance, where Louise gives the amulet to Serena and commits to being her true self. Upon seeing Louise, Brad crosses the dance floor to be with her. He and Louise dance together and kiss, with Brad showing he really likes Louise for who she is and not because of her magic.
The idea for the film was initially conceived as a gender-flipped version of Teen Wolf , but during development was reworked into a standalone film. [3] The script for the film was written by Robin Menken and Vernon Zimmerman. The first draft was raunchier and more in the style of a teen sex comedy like Porky's , but producer Alana H. Lambros and director Dorian Walker excised the racy elements in order to make the PG-13 film they desired. [3] Walker and Lambros also wanted musical sequences to be added into the script. Lambros had connections in the music industry and met with Larry Weir, the songwriter for The Weir Brothers. [3] Weir composed the song "Popular Girl" shortly after their meeting and agreed to pen the remainder of the songs. Walker brought on Robert Banas, a dancer in West Side Story , to choreograph the dance scenes. [3]
Debbie Gibson was the original choice for the role of Louise, but negotiations with the singer fell through before she could be cast. [3]
Principal photography began on November 25, 1988. [3] The film was shot in the Los Angeles area. High school scenes were filmed at Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale over the school's winter break, with real students being used as extras. [3] [4]
During post-production, an early cut of the film was screened at the American Film Market to gauge the interest of foreign buyers. Reception was enthusiastic, and Moshe Diamante, the co-owner of the film's distributor Trans World Entertainment, mandated that more scenes be added to increase the film's production value. According to Lambros, Diamante said, "'We need to make this picture bigger! We have to put in more music and more scenes!'" [3] Producer Rafael Eisenman was brought in to oversee the added filming. [3] The added scenes included the "Top That!" rap battle sequence [5] [3] and the love scene at the abandoned house. [6] [7]
Teen Witch was released in the United States on April 23, 1989 and grossed $3,875 in its opening weekend at the box office, and only $27,843 in its entire run against its production budget of $2.5 million. [8] April 1989 box office competition included Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner and Pet Sematary written by Stephen King. Both films were released on April 21, 1989, two days before Teen Witch was released. [9]
Upon release, the film was panned by critics, including Chris Willman of the Los Angeles Times who called it "complete with teen wish-fulfillment fantasies, condescending moralizing, asinine musical montages, horrifying pop songs, French kissing, blatant product plugs and Dick Sargent (formerly of Bewitched )." [10] TV Guide pointed out the predictability of the film and concluded, "Notwithstanding its supernatural elements, the film is basically a standard teenage love story (a squeaky clean one at that) with several unmemorable musical numbers thrown in." [11] Variety wrote "the comedy potential...is limited in this well-intentioned, young teen vehicle burdened by a nice message and a predictable outcome", but said where the film stands out is "its bouncy score, provided by and Larry and Tom Weir". [12]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 43% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10.The website's consensus reads: "While drenched in upbeat messages and heart, the wonders of high school, love, and magic often don't meld well enough for this inoffensive Teen Witch." [13]
The film performed much better on home video and overseas. [3] It gradually became a cult classic, having gained newer, younger audiences after regular airings on premium and basic cable networks such as HBO, Cinemax, and Disney Channel [3] in the 1990s. [1] [14] [2] [15] [7] Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post stated, "There are good movies, there are bad movies, there are movies that are so bad they're good and then there is Teen Witch -- a cult classic that defies classification thanks to a curious combination of songs, spells and skin." [1] Joshua John Miller, commenting on his involvement with the film as the character Richie, said, "If you look at Teen Witch, it was a very campy performance. But it's a really fun film and something I have grown to honor." [2] The film has been celebrated in midnight movie screenings. [7] [16] The hosts of the film podcast How Did This Get Made? are avowed fans of the film, praising the strange musical numbers and Miller's performance as Richie in particular. [17]
There are parodies or homages of the film, especially of its rap song "Top That" (including an homage starring Alia Shawkat). [15] [18] Drew Grant of Nerve.com stated, "If you've never seen the original rap scene from the 80s classic Teen Witch, you must immediately stop what you're doing and watch it right now. It's everything wonderful and terrible about that decade rolled into one misguided appropriation of... hip-hop." [18] Stephanie Marcus of The Huffington Post called "Top That" "the worst song of all time." [19]
In a 1998 retrospective review, Ada Calhoun of The Austin Chronicle praised the film, calling it "so Eighties it hurts". [20] She added, "Between the dearth of character actors, the valuable lessons learned, and the textbook backfiring of good intentions, some may scoff. They would, however, be in the wrong, for this is a masterpiece of both the teen and witch genres. Louise the nerd, bubbling over with sexual energy and social ambition, becomes cool. Louise the witch, erratically powerful, learns how to rightly use her strength. Teen Witch is an all-around delicious flick, both despite and because of the afterschool special quality of its message." [20] In an article for The A.V. Club , Marah Eakin discussed how the film is "a fun escape". [21]
In 2007, ABC Family (now Freeform) acquired the basic cable television rights to the film, and has since made it a regular offering of its annual 13 Nights of Halloween holiday block. [22]
A soundtrack album for Teen Witch was never released because financial backers of the film had neglected to provide funding for one. [16] [23] Because of the limited funding, many of the tracks were sung by members of the Weir family. [7] By the early 2000s, the master audio tapes had become unavailable. [7] [24] [25] In 2006, The Weir Brothers collaborated with Teen Witch producer Alana H. Lambros for Teen Witch the Musical, which utilized new cast members to sing the songs. [7] An audio CD of the re-recorded songs was released in 2007. [24] [25]
The songs heard in the film are as follows: [23] [26]
Award | Category | Name | Result | Ref. |
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Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture | Joshua John Miller | Nominated | [28] |
Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture | Robyn Lively | Nominated |
On July 12, 2005, MGM released the film to DVD in its original widescreen theatrical version with no special features. [29] On March 21, 2017, Kino Lorber released a Blu-ray edition. [29] The edition included an audio commentary track and new interviews with Robyn Lively, Mandy Ingber, Dan Gauthier, and Joshua John Miller.
Producer Alana H. Lambros envisioned a Broadway musical adaptation, and three different versions of the production were considered: a Teen Witch the Musical concert with just the music, a theme park version for Universal Studios, and a two-act musical with Broadway aspirations. [7] Teen Witch the Musical was presented in workshop in 2006. [25] [30] In 2007, the audio CD for Teen Witch the Musical was released. [25] [31]
The cast of Teen Witch the Musical: [24] [31] [32]
In April 2008, Variety reported that Ashley Tisdale signed with FremantleMedia North America and was in talks with United Artists to star in a remake of Teen Witch, but no further developments transpired. [33]
In 2013 and 2017, live versions of Teen Witch: The Musical were staged by Los Angeles improv group The Groundlings. [34] [35]
Dana Elaine Owens, better known by the stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two NAACP Image Awards, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. In 2006, she became the first hip hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story, and starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus, and Ray Walston. Crowe went undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego and wrote about his experiences.
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Blake Ellender Lively is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project Sandman (1998). She had her breakthrough playing Bridget Vreeland in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) and its 2008 sequel, to commercial success. After starring in the comedy Accepted (2006), Lively achieved international recognition for her portrayal of Serena van der Woodsen in the CW teen drama television series Gossip Girl (2007–2012). During this period, she also starred in the romantic comedies New York, I Love You (2008) and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009), the thrillers The Town (2010) and Savages (2012), and the superhero film Green Lantern (2011).
Fame is a stage musical based on the 1980 musical film of the same name, with book by Jose Fernandez, music by Steve Margoshes and lyrics by Jacques Levy. Conceived and developed by David De Silva, it premiered in 1988 in Miami, Florida, and has spawned many stagings worldwide, including an Off-Broadway production at the Little Shubert Theatre from 2003 to 2004, under the title Fame on 42nd Street.
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Robyn Elaine Lively Johnson is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the 1989 films Teen Witch and The Karate Kid Part III. She is also known for her roles in the TV shows Doogie Howser, M.D.; Twin Peaks; Savannah; and Saving Grace.
Serena Berman is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has done voice-over work for animated series and films. She voiced Elyon Brown in the Disney show W.I.T.C.H. as a teenager, and she has guest starred in shows such as Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Justice League. She appeared in the romantic comedy film Set It Up which stars Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell.
Dallas Children's Theater (DCT) is a professional theater organization based in Dallas, Texas, that focuses on producing theater for youth and families. It reaches an audience of 250,000 youth annually with its nine main stage productions, national touring company, and education programs. In 2004 Time magazine named it one of the top five theaters in the country performing for youth.
The fourth season of the American teen drama television series Gossip Girl premiered on The CW on September 13, 2010, and concluded on May 16, 2011, consisting of 22 episodes. Based on the novel series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar, the series was developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The CW renewed the series for a full fourth season on February 16, 2010. Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen, Ed Westwick, Jessica Szohr, Kelly Rutherford, and Matthew Settle all return as series regulars.
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Larry Anthony Weir, is a managing editor and author at New Music Weekly. A guitarist, composer, producer and promoter, Weir is most notable for his work with his brother Michael Damian and his compositions for the movie Teen Witch (1989). A songwriter under both ASCAP and BMI, Weir has 395 BMI published works and an unknown number of ASCAP titles.
Larry Anthony Weir is an American songwriter, composer, producer, promoter and managing editor of New Music Weekly magazine. Weir is best known for songs in the musical Teen Witch (1989), which has become an annual Halloween tradition on several television networks.
Cindy Valentine is an Italian-born composer, producer, actress and performing artist, raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada who is now a U.S. citizen, residing primarily in New York, New York. Valentine hit the Billboard Dance/Club charts in 1989 with "Secret Rendez-Vous" and "Pick Up the Pieces ", both songs co-written by Tony Green and Cindy Valentine. Valentine also co-wrote the songs, "Finest Hour" and "Never Gonna Be the Same Again" for the 1989 Halloween classic, Teen Witch and played the part of Shana the Rock Star in the film. As a composer and performer, additional soundtrack credits include: Repossessed (1990), Mannequin Two: On the Move (1991), and Another 9 1/2 Weeks (1997).
Heather Youmans is an American dancer and singer-songwriter known for her soundtrack work on the feature films, Moondance Alexander (2007), Flicka 2 (2010) and Marley & Me: The Puppy Years (2011). Youmans recently appeared on I Can See Your Voice episode 4 (FOX), other live performances include a UNICEF benefit opening solo ahead of headliners Sting and Natalie Cole in 2005, a National Anthem performance for the Los Angeles Kings on New Year's Eve 2019, and Parade magazine's, She Rocks Spotlight Series, in 2020. Her work has been featured in American Songwriter magazine, Forbes Women and Parade magazine profiled her career and music in 2020. Youmans holds an MBA and is publicist with Fender Guitars, she has written for the Los Angeles Times, and the Orange County Register.
Lisa Fuller is an American actress best known for her work in movies such as The Monster Squad (1987) and Night Life (1989). She also starred in the movie Teen Witch (1989).
The Teen Wolf franchise consists of American supernatural-teen drama installments released through various media including: two theatrical films and an animated television series based on the movies; a live-action reboot show, its streaming exclusive movie continuation, and a spin-off series which follows the ending of the film. Based on an original story by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman, the plot of each release centers around adolescent individuals who are not a part of the popular crowd amongst their peers, whose lives change once they become werewolves allowing them to gain superhuman abilities through supernatural means. The franchise additionally includes a 1989 standalone spin-off film that was initially released in theaters which centers around a teenage witch, as well as its stage musical adaptation.
And while everyone born after 1999 thinks of star Robyn Lively as Blake's older sister, those in the know are hep to the fact that Robyn is not only the Most Popular Girl, but also the best/worst dressed witch in the history of teen cinema.
Teen Witch (12:00 - 2:00 AM ET/PT)
Actor's roles from video of acting workshop